Daylio is a mood tracking app that helps you log how you're feeling each day using icons (no writing required). You tap your mood (rad, good, meh, bad, awful) and activities (work, exercise, socializing, etc.), and it creates charts showing patterns over time. Best for people with depression or bipolar disorder who want to track mood cycles, identify triggers, and share data with therapists. Not a treatment—it's a tracking tool.
Mood Tracking & Journaling
People who use Daylio consistently (daily for 2+ weeks) report noticing patterns they didn't see before—like 'I feel worse on days I don't exercise' or 'my mood drops after stressful work meetings.' This awareness helps guide lifestyle changes and therapy.
Daylio is best for people who:
Tap your mood (5 levels by default: rad, good, meh, bad, awful) and add activities. Takes 10 seconds. No writing required. Fully customizable—change mood names, colors, and number of levels.
Evidence: Low-friction logging = higher compliance. Quick check-ins are validated for mood tracking.
Tag activities for each mood entry (exercise, work, friends, sleep, etc.). Daylio correlates activities with mood to show patterns. Example: 'You feel better on days you exercise.'
Evidence: Behavioral activation therapy relies on activity-mood correlations. Daylio automates this.
View mood trends over time (line charts, calendar heat maps, bar charts). See average mood per month, mood distribution, and activity correlations. Year-in-review feature.
Evidence: Visualizations increase insight and pattern recognition.
Gamified tracking with streak counters. Motivates daily check-ins. See longest streak, current streak, etc.
Evidence: Gamification increases app engagement and habit formation.
Export mood data to share with therapist or psychiatrist. PDF has charts and graphs. CSV is raw data for analysis.
Evidence: Therapists often request mood logs. Export feature makes this seamless.
All data stored on your device by default. No account required. Optional cloud backup (encrypted). Maximum privacy.
Evidence: Privacy-first design reduces data breach risk and increases trust.
Set reminders to log mood daily (morning, evening, or custom times). Notifications are gentle and customizable.
Evidence: Reminders increase compliance with daily tracking.
Generous free version, with optional premium upgrade:
$0
Most users—includes unlimited mood tracking, activities, basic stats, and export
$4.99/month
Trying premium features before committing
Annual cost: $59.88/year
$24.99/year ($2.08/month)
Saves $35/year vs monthly
$59.99 one-time
Long-term users, breaks even after ~2.5 years
Not covered by insurance. Not an HSA/FSA eligible expense (not a medical device).
Daylio is privacy-first. All data stored locally by default. No ads. No data selling. Grade: A-
Not HIPAA-compliant. Do not use for clinical records. If you export data to share with therapist, ensure secure transmission (encrypted email, patient portal).
Specifically designed for bipolar disorder. More clinical features (mania/depression scales). Less polished UI. Free with optional premium. Choose eMoods if you have bipolar and want bipolar-specific tracking.
More comprehensive—track symptoms, medications, sleep, diet, etc. Better for chronic illness tracking. More complex interface. Choose Bearable if you want to track multiple health factors beyond mood.
Includes daily psychological questions and generates reports for therapists. More therapeutic guidance. Choose Moodpath if you want guided assessments, Daylio if you want simple mood logging.
Mood tracking supports behavioral activation therapy. Helps identify low mood patterns and activity relationships. Most effective when combined with therapy. Not a standalone treatment.
Daily mood tracking helps detect manic/hypomanic episodes early. Share mood charts with psychiatrist for medication adjustments. Critical for bipolar management.
Track hypomanic episodes and depressive patterns. Helps distinguish bipolar II from unipolar depression. Essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Identify anxiety triggers and patterns. Track anxiety levels over time. Useful alongside CBT for anxiety. Not as evidence-based as for mood disorders.